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History

This area was one of the first to have land grants set aside for soldiers who had survived the French and Indian War. The land covered by these grants, parts of Eaton and Albany, was incorporated in 1852 as "Madison," in honor of President James Madison, who was born 100 years earlier.

The town is home to the Madison Boulder (43°55′52″N71°10′04″W﻿ / ﻿43.93111°N 71.16778°W﻿ / 43.93111; -71.16778), the largest known glacial erratic in New England, and among the largest in the world. Madison Boulder is a huge granite rock measuring 83 feet (25 m) in length, 23 feet (7.0 m) in height above the ground, and 37 feet (11 m) in width. It weighs upwards of 5,000 tons. A part of this roughly rectangular block is buried, probably to a depth of ten to twelve feet. It is located at a state park in the northwest part of town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 41.0 square miles (106 km2), of which 38.7 sq mi (100 km2) is land and 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) is water, comprising 5.42% of the town. Madison is drained by Forrest Brook and Silver Lake to the south and by Pequawket Brook to the north. The highest point in Madison is the summit of Lyman Mountain, at 1,558 feet (475 m) above sea level.

Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,984 people, 777 households, and 560 families residing in the town. The population density was 51.2 people per square mile (19.8/km²). There were 1,589 housing units at an average density of 41.0/sq mi (15.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.78% White, 0.05% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.